Wizards Add Booker And N’Diaye

Most of the hype surrounding the Washington Wizards on NBA draft night, centered on the selection of John Wall–and deservedly so. He was the best player available in the draft, and based on his freshman year performance at Kentucky, he is destined to be a productive point guard for the Wizards.

But the Wizards were one of the busier teams on draft night, while they made some moves that aren’t official and cannot be fully discussed as of yet such as the acquisition of Kirk Hinrich, there were two other official moves the Wizards made they hope will pay immediate dividends.

The Wizards acquired the draft rights to forward Trevor Booker and center Hamady N’Diaye from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for the rights to Lazar Hayward and Nemanja Bjelica.

Booker was drafted 23rd overall while N’Diaye was selected 56th.

“We are very pleased to add Trevor Booker and Hamady N’Diaye to our roster on an exciting night for our franchise,” said Team President Ernie Grunfeld. “Trevor is a strong rebounder and hard-nosed defender with an aggressive mentality. He is a real competitor who will bring a strong desire and physicality to our team. Hamady also plays with toughness and a lot of effort, and has an excellent ability to block shots.”

The 6″7″ 240lb Booker, who worked out for the Washington Wizards last week, averaged 15.2 ppg and 8.4 rpg during his senior year at Clemson in 2009-10, en route to earning First Team All-ACC honors. He also was named to the All ACC Defensive Team this season.

The 6’11”, 235lb N’Diaye, who was among the first group of players the Wizards worked out back on May 13th, averaged 9.4 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.5 blocks for Rutgers this season, and was named Big East Defensive Player of the year.

Both players are expected to play for the Washington Wizards in the Vegas Summer League. Stay tuned to Hoops Addict for more Wizards-related information.